Inconspicuous Standards
by De Ore Leonis
Summary: "For commander Zhao, a neutral port meant plain clothes, a strong drink and yelling at his crew for an hour." Zhao's also seeking a distraction. So is a certain young Water Tribe warrior.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar

**Warnings:** Rated for a reason, contains explicit male/male scenes, arguably a crack pairing, but written earnestly

**Inconspicuous Standards**

It was a neutral port. Simply speaking, that word meant a grey flag on a map. Although in real terms, the meaning was infinitely more subtle. Neutral meant that the residents had had enough of every kingdom and nation trying to carve out the port as a piece of their empire. It usually happened at border towns. First the Fire Nation would claim it, then the Earth Kingdom would sack it, then the Fire Nation would pillage it when they re-took it. There was no way for the residents to win that sort of conflict. Each army would kill the 'traitors' and support any surviving 'loyalists'. The next army would do the same thing in reverse. In the end the people decided that they had had enough and declared themselves neutral.

That meant they'd serve anyone who could pay for supplies, provided they weren't too obvious about their allegiances. Fire Nation ships were difficult to disguise to the point of futility, but as long as the captain didn't run up any flags or display any obvious insignia or battle standards everything went just fine, if a little tense. The same went for Erath Kingdom vessels or soldiers. The same went for the Water Tribe too, although they were rare here.

In ports, neutrality was usually adopted for the sake of trade. Loyalty came and went, but people were always willing to make money. It was one of the great uniting characteristics.

Obviously fights broke out and no one was really content, but it was better than having one group very, very happy and everyone else terrified, dying or both. In fact, if there was such a thing as peace between the elements, it could be found in a neutral area. Albeit, in an inharmonious sort of way.

For commander Zhao, a neutral port meant plain clothes, a strong drink and yelling at his crew for an hour. It literally took an hour to drill it into his soldiers to keep out of trouble. They were firebenders, so they were on the very edge of sanity at the best of times. When combined with a neutral port and a fanatical level of nationalism, they were…volatile, to say the least. He had had to make an example out of a couple of them. Their burns would heal in time and probably wouldn't scar, but they would be in a lot of pain for quite some time. He smiled to himself. He had enjoyed that.

Fire was... indescribable. If hadn't been a bender he knew he would have gone mad with envy. The ferocity, the unquenchable hunger, the sheer _power_ of it was awe inspiring. The other elements were nothing.

It wasn't that Zhao was any more civilised than his troops, but at least he had learnt to keep the brutality inside until he needed it. He hardly ever lost control outside of battle these days. His old bending master had said that the fire had consumed him. It had, and Zhao had welcomed it.

He pried his thoughts away from his favourite topic. Such thoughts would not serve him in a place like this. He had to forget for a while. He had been at sea for too long and he needed a place to sit alone, drink and try and get the sound of the engines out of his ears.

He came to a likely place a little further from the dock itself. It had something undeniably Water Tribe about it. It wasn't anything glaringly obvious in a neutral port, but the style of building, the colours…it wasn't a place that someone loyal to the Fire Nation would be welcome. It was perfect.

Here, he wouldn't encounter his troops and he knew from experience that if you kept quiet, paid and looked like you belonged, no one would give you any trouble. Of course if some Water Tribe idiot decided to provoke him anyway, well, he wasn't adverse to a brawl and it would certainly help him relax.

The interior was dimly lit and contained a lot of blue. He took a small empty table in a corner, with his back to a wall. The narrow choices of food were mainly Water Tribe oriented and likely brought in with the trade. He tried not to sneer at 'sea prunes' and various blubber derivatives and settled for some strong spirits. He also tried not to think about what horrible aquatic things had been fermented to produce it. In the end, as long as it blurred his temper and everything else in the room, he was happy.

After his second drink he noticed someone sitting alone in a corner, much like himself. The male appeared to be Water Tribe, but he was not a bender. He didn't have the look. He looked pretty young to be drinking alone anyway.

Zhao allowed his eyes to wander over the Water Tribe's features. He was lean and he had the look of a warrior or at least a fighter about him. Zhao could appreciate a fighter although he generally preferred them paler and more muscular. When the object of his attentions took a sip Zhao noticed he had his hair up. He definitely approved of that. Naturally his first choice was a certain banished prince, but that was improbable at best.

He sat and mulled over his options for a while. He doubted that anyone from the Water Tribe, even in a neutral port, would agree to spend the night with a firebender, let alone a commander. On the other hand, no one asked too many questions in a place like this, so as not to risk a fight.

He knew he wasn't entirely sober and he doubted the other was either. At best it would end well and he'd be more relaxed and possibly a little calmer by the end. At worst the other would start a fight which Zhao would win. He'd still end up happier, if not as calm.

With a shrug he drained the rest of his drink and swaggered over to the Water Tribe male.

"This seat taken?" he enquired lazily.

"Knock yourself out," came the sullen reply.

(---)

Sokka had had enough of his sister and the nauseatingly bright and optimistic Aang. A part of him knew that Aang wasn't intentionally trying to drive him insane, but that didn't help. Not when every second day was another spirits-cursed side trip, point of interest or home of yet another animal that wasn't to become dinner.

It didn't help that his sister kept making goo-goo eyes at the supposed saviour of the world when she thought no one was looking. No brother should have to see his sister looking at a guy like that! Granted she was older than Aang and the kid probably wouldn't know what to do with her anyway, but still, eew! It was his sister!

Anyway, he decided that he needed some alone time. They were in this dingy little port that happened to be right near the home of spirits-knew-what stupid animal ('but you can ride it!' Aang had exclaimed,) and he decided that he'd better blow off some steam before he snapped.

The Water Tribe bar was a good find. For some reason this town seemed to hold everything from Fire Nation food stalls to Earth Kingdom tapestries. It was more than a little unsettling. He didn't know if they were among friends or foes. Not that it really made much difference; he wanted them to remain inconspicuous wherever they went. But did they listen to him? Nooo, no one listened to Sokka, even though _he_ was the oldest _and_ the least insane member of their group.

He had hesitated quite a while over actually entering a bar and actually getting a drink. He wondered if Gran-Gran would kill him if she knew. In the end he decided that he wanted to be the rebellious, stupid one for a change. Besides, they had sea prunes here. You couldn't get them _anywhere_.

He chose a table in the corner and kept his back to the walls. He didn't want to get snuck up on. He occasionally fingered his boomerang in the beginning, but it was surprisingly easy to mellow out after a couple of drinks.

Like the rest of the patrons he noted the big guy when he stomped in. His expression was not one that you wanted to get in the way of, but he just sat down, nice and quiet, and ordered a drink. He also sat in a corner.

He could have been from anywhere, the build suggested Earth Kingdom, maybe even a bender, but there was something smug about him that seemed almost Fire Nation. He could be just some citizen, but it didn't really fit. Either way, he probably shouldn't have been in a Water Tribe bar, but it didn't look like anyone was stupid enough to try and throw him out.

He was pretty surprised when the guy had strutted over to his table and asked to sit. Ordinarily Sokka would have said something offensive by accident, but his mouth had decided to keep him out of trouble just this once. Anyway, maybe it was the fermented seaweed and squid drink talking, but he liked the look of this guy.

"Can I buy you drink?" Sokka snapped out of his musings to stare suspiciously at the male sitting across from him.

"Why?" he drew the word out suspiciously.

"In the hopes of impairing your judgement enough so that you'll agree to spend the night with me," the stranger replied.

Sokka nearly choked on his mouthful. "That's pretty blunt," he finally managed to splutter.

"I could have been blunter."

"No doubt. Ah, hm, well… sure, why not?" he finally managed.

This time it was the stranger's turn to start. "Good then. Ah, to the drink or to tonight?"

"You'll just have to see won't you?" Sokka replied archly, taking another bite of a sea prune.

(---)

Zhao was surprised. He wasn't subtle by nature and it certainly wasn't helped by a few drinks. He had been expecting a refusal and had decided it was fair to let the Water Tribe male know his intentions. After all, when he had gotten to the table, the other had been slightly younger than he'd expected. It didn't really bother him considering that Zuko, his obsession, was pretty young himself, although in suffering and defiance he had more than his share of years.

He turned his thoughts away from his prince to consider the Water Tribe teen in front of him. He had the right sort of build to pique his interest even if he wasn't marble pale, like Zuko. While he didn't seethe with anger, there was a certain sullen irritation that Zhao found appealing.

He slid the drink across the table when the serving girl placed it in front of him. He didn't spare her a second look. The teen picked it up with a shrug and took a sip.

"I like your wolf tail," Zhao remarked. He had fought the Water Tribe before, he knew their terminology.

"Really? I mean thanks, it's suitable for a warrior…?"

Zhao had to listen for the upward inflection, but the teen was clearly seeking reassurance. It was almost cute.

"Certainly, it keeps the hair out of your eyes and it's… fierce."

Zhao had let his hair down, literally, to look a little less Fire Nation. Perhaps he should have kept it up just for this.

The teen let his eyes fall back to his drink. He still seemed moody, but his held a glint of pride from the earlier compliment. Zhao liked pride.

"Something on your mind?" The commander felt compelled to ask.

"It's just, well, argh!" The Water Tribe male slid his hands down his face. "It's nothing important. I'd rather just forget it for a while."

Zhao nodded. He could understand that. "Well, if you're interested in forgetting things for a while…" he trailed off but placed a warm hand on the other's thigh.

The teen nearly yelped, but managed to choke on a swallow of his drink instead. Zhao let him cough and splutter for a while and just watched him with a smirk. He kept his hand where it was.

The teen looked at him quite angrily, especially when his gaze took in the commander's smirk.

"Fine. Let's go forget then," the teen snapped.

Zhao's eyes widened slightly. This was even better than expected. He definitely liked the indignant anger coming of the teen and the defiant tilt of the head, well…

(---)

Sokka wasn't quite sure how it had gotten this far this quickly. He wasn't worried exactly, just a little wary. They had stumbled out of the bar and then… walked somewhere? Either way he was in a place with a bed and lying down was a _good_ idea because the room wasn't being as… still he was used to. Maybe they were on the water…?

The other man had thudded down beside him with a minimum of grace and a groan. Sokka moved closer to him in an instinctive movement to seek warmth. They guy was certainly radiating heat. It was quite pleasant. A thought relating to this phenomenon kept trying to nag at Sokka's mind, but it wasn't registering.

He arched as firm hand ran down his body and he was surprised at how responsive he was feeling. It must be the drink, he thought muzzily. Oh well. He let his own hands roam over the broad expanse of muscle before him. It was very pleasant.

However it wasn't long before things started to heat up in almost a literal sense. Although Sokka was by nature 'The Guy with the Plan', he was working in a very spontaneous way and wasn't giving much thought to his activities.

He distantly realised that he was being kissed, although it seemed more of a claiming act than an affectionate one. Oh well, he returned it anyway. They were both a little clumsy from the night's drinking. A large hand slid up Sokka's thigh and he squirmed slightly, then it was pressing against his erection and he rubbed against it. Clothes were shed as quickly as clumsy fingers allowed. Sokka had particular difficulty with the unfamiliar clasps and things. He nearly stopped completely when a very warm hand wrapped around him and started pumping. It wasn't a gentle action and Sokka groaned against the other's shoulder. He continued his efforts on the man's pants in the wake of a strong wave of curiosity. He wondered what he had to work with. He was halted once again by a slight twist of the other's wrist that left him gasping. The heat of the man's fist was incredible and felt really good. Again, Sokka had that nagging feeling at the back of his mind, but he ignored it in favour of canting his hips forward again. A few more firm strokes and some ungainly thrusts on Sokka's part left him gasping and whimpering as he spilled over the man's hand. After lying there panting, he renewed his attack on the other's pants and gave a slight squawk of triumph when he finally freed the other's impressive arousal.

Completely on impulse, Sokka leaned forward and ran his tongue up the shaft. His own climax had helped remove some of the fuzziness from his thoughts. He knew instinctively that neither of them were capable of energy intensive activity, but is easy enough to forget for an evening.

(---)

Zhao groaned low in his throat as the teen began suck him. As far as he was able to form complex thoughts at this point, he was relieved that he wasn't required to perform. After all, he much preferred to pin his partner and thrust in hard and fast and that was not going to happen tonight. Instead he placed a hand around that wolf tail and allowed himself to relax. It was certainly a novelty. The Water Tribe teen wasn't too bad. He was a little clumsy, but he had good instincts.

That tongue flicked out to taste the commander at the very tip and his hips twitched forward involuntarily. When Zhao felt a hand join the ministrations of that tongue he tilted his head back and groaned again. He was brought quickly, if not expertly to the edge and tugged at the teen's hair to warn him. The Water Tribe warrior pulled back and finished him off with a last couple of firm strokes. Zhao felt his temperature spike, but couldn't really control it. It wasn't enough to burn the other and with luck he would notice the firebending give away.

The commander grunted as the teen collapsed on top of his legs. He shrugged. He was definitely ready to sleep and he'd probably wake up with one spirits-cursed hangover. The only notable disadvantage of firebending was a tendency to wake up with the sun. He grimaced to himself and decided that he'd give the teen an opportunity to sneak off his ship. They'd both let down their guard a little and Zhao would be in no condition to fight or explain to his guards what he'd been doing with someone, obviously Water Tribe, in the middle of the night. He only hoped that the other would feel as kindly disposed and not slit his throat in the middle of the night. Well, this was a neutral port and if there was such a thing as peace between the elements, it could be found in a neutral port.


End file.
